Lights Inside Their Eyes
by MarthaJones11
Summary: The marriage of Loki and Jane births the spark of passion that defines their relationship and mirrors the soul of adventure that courses through their lives.
1. Wedding

The stars were singing, songs generations old, the long songs. Her handmaidens had told her stories, millennia old, of the last nights that the Asgardian skies sang their ballads of beauty. No living soul had heard the voices of the stars – until tonight. Tonight the stars stood in raptured beauty, their brightness rivaling the twin moons that rose over the eastern horizon. They danced around brilliant streaks of color, they laughed around bursting nebulae of green and gold. They throbbed with passion and ebbed with burning splendor.

Jane stood on her balcony, reveling in their grandeur. Never before had she observed and heard something so perfect. She swept a hand through her hair as her eyes darted across the inky blackness of the sky, following a comet whose golden tail left a lingering brightness over the magnificence of the palace walls. A sharp cry broke her from her reverie, from her contemplation of the beauty of the night and the blessings these stars sung into her life.

"My Lady! Your dress! Your hair! You're hardly ready for the wedding!"

Jane couldn't help but laugh. The handmaiden behind her, garbed in rose and white silks, stood with her hands on her hips and with scowling lips – but Jane saw the happiness in her eyes. True, Idunn often was forced to drag Jane inside, away from her star charts and observations, and she was usually the one responsible for cleaning stains from Jane's clothing whenever the eager scientist when exploring, but her handmaiden held a soft spot for the young mortal.

"Yes, Idunn, I'm coming!" she said, bounding over to the older woman with three long hops. "Have you seen these stars? They're singing, Idunn! Actually singing! And they're so beautiful and I wish I could chart them and do you think they would get made if I wanted to postpone-"

A raised finger cut off her ramblings to her lips.

"Now, enough of that, My Lady. You're to be married this evening. You can look at your charts all you want afterward."

Jane grumbled, good-naturedly, and shuffled toward the screen blocking her from Idunn's view as she changed out of the pants and tunic she so loved. Although dresses were the common choice for women of Asgard, Jane found them impractical for exploration, and often decided to dart out of the palace gates wearing men's clothing, much to the chagrin of her handmaidens.

"Can you just throw the dress over the panel, Idunn?" she asked.

Idunn mumbled something incoherently about "not throwing this expensive piece of fabric anywhere, you ungrateful mortal." But all the same, the dress was lobbed over the paneling and Jane found herself ensnared in its billowing layers.

"Um, actually, a little help?" she called, trying to untangle herself from what she assumed was the base of the dress.

A huff sounded from the other side of the panel, then Idunn stalked around, yanking Jane from the layers of fabric. More gently now, she lowered the dress to knee level and motioned for Jane to step forward. As she did, the dress was slowly brought up over her legs and stomach and clasped at her back as it reached her shoulders. A pair of shoes was set at her feet. Jane slipped into them, surprised at their comfort.

"Can I see? Can I look?" she asked eagerly.

Idunn shook her head, motioning for Jane to sit in nearby chair. Jane huffed, but did as she was told. She had yet to see the finished dress, and was eager to know how the design turned out. While she didn't necessarily have an eye for fashion, she still was thrilled for this most important dress of her life. Sharp pains in her head brought her out of the daydream.

"Ouch!" she cried. "Idunn, are you trying to rip my hair out?"

Her handmaiden laughed.

"My lady, your betrothed would have my head if I did so," she responded. "I'm simply making sure these braids don't fall out. You're going to have a very long night."

"That's the plan," Jane smirked. "I've heard he's got quite the stamina in bed."

Idunn laughed and smacked Jane lightly on the shoulder.

"That is not talk befitting of a lady," she said.

"Oh, Idunn, we both know I'm not a lady," Jane responded, laughing. "Come on, are you finished yet? I'm ready to see it!"

Idunn sighed. "Alright, my lady. Up you go. Come on over here. Gently, gently! There, stand right here. Now turn and look in the mirror."

Jane gasped. Before her stood a reflection she barely recognized. Her hair was lifted entirely back from her face, with small braids interweaving along the sides before joining a styled bun behind her head. A few loose strands of hair fell softly in front of her face. Jane's eyes travelled down to the shining fabric of the dress. Its golden material hugged her body, simply, elegantly, like the stars of the sky woven their paths around their patterns. Two sheer sleeves travelled down her arms and formed a display of the nightly constellations upon her arms. The train of the golden dress fell simply behind her feet, dragging slightly upon the ground behind her steps. A traditional hood of the Asgardian dress rested upon her upper shoulders.

Her eyes brimming with tears, Jane turned to Idunn.

"I…I don't know what to say…nobody's ever given me something so beautiful…" she wanted to say more but didn't know how to express her gratitude. "Thank you," Jane whispered, wiping a tear away from the corner of her eye.

Idunn smiled. "Now, none of that, My Lady. It's your wedding night! No tears tonight, only happiness."

She turned away and came back holding a simple golden band. It was thin, lightweight, hammered gold from the greatest smiths in Asgard. She placed it atop Jane's braided hair and stepped back, her eyes and lips carrying the same smile.

"You're ready," Idunn said. She stopped. "My Lady, if I may be so daring, I should like to express my gratitude on your wedding night." Her eyes grew cloudy. "No one is ever so kind to us servants, especially not the royal women. You've been the exception, My Lady. I thank you from my heart."

Jane smiled. "Idunn, you're like another mom to me. Thanks for everything you do," she laughed slightly, "Even when I come back trailing mud into the bathroom."

Idunn laughed. "Yes, that happens quite a bit. Now, enough of this. Time for your wedding!"

She took Jane's hand, and together they swept from the room, leaving behind a tunic and a pair of pants, muddy footprints on the floor, and starlight that shimmered through the paneling of Jane's changing room, starlight that sung with the long song not heard for millennia, starlight that blessed this wedding night above so many others.

The royal gardens were filled and bustling. Jane had insisted they complete the ceremony outside, underneath the brilliant starlight. The royal family had finally consented. Apparently some ancient tradition stated that all important events in life should be completed underneath the open sky. And so they were to be married in the gardens, underneath the twisting branches of the pale Asgardian trees, filling their nights with the sounds of chirping crickets and the smells of late summer honeysuckle.

Jane rounded the corner to the gardens at Idunn's side. She gasped slightly. Several hundred royals graced the garden lawn, and at their convergence, Jane could see her betrothed standing at the head. At his side stood his brother, tall and regal, smiling slightly in her direction as she reached the back of the open aisle to the altar. Near the front, she could barely make out the crown of the current King and Queen of Asgard, their colorful silks billowing slightly in the nighttime air. She felt a light squeeze on her hand. Idunn smiled at her, then released her arm, gradually walking away and disappearing into a crowd of servants that gathered near the back of the wedding ceremony. She was alone. She raised the hood over her hair and stood at the end, waiting for the next movement.

A light tune started, something that resembled the music of a fiddle. Its song was slow, composed, regal. Jane took the cue and began her walk down the aisle. She felt all eyes upon her. She tensed. Jane hated the attention and her breathing became slightly ragged. Suddenly, the music shifted tune, seeming to match the songs flowing forth from the stars dancing overhead. Its melody lightened, its notes became dancelike and fully of childlike wonder. Jane nearly laughed at the sudden shift in tone, and she glanced up at the circling stars to offer up a silent thanks. They smiled down upon her, swirling in patterned masses and moving about their trails, skipping around the bursting green nebulae and passing over the golden comets that streaked across the sky.

She looked back to the altar. She was nearly there. A few more steps, and she stood beside him. Jane kept her head bowed, her hair hidden underneath the golden hood that covered her braids. The music stopped. The songs of the stars continued on, swirling in an infinity of music that painted the backdrop of their painting, so lovely, so passionate, so alive.

Soft hands brushed the hood away from her hair and gently pulled her face to look into ardent eyes. Green eyes that loved and laughed and widened as they stared into Jane's face, widened with wonder and joy that rivaled the emotion of the long song chanted by the stars of night. Jane smiled. Everything, finally, was as it should be. Together, she and Loki turned to face the leader at the altar, holding hands as they dipped into a kneeling position before again standing with their back to the gathered congregation.

There were many things chanted that Jane did not understand. It was all in the Old Language. As the leader continued on, Jane allowed her eyes to wander slightly to the movements overhead. The stars seemed ever-closer, if possible, and the intensity of the green and gold streaks of light and stardust seemed to burst with even greater passion. A soft thumb swept across her hand. Jane looked down, then glanced up. Loki smiled briefly at her before turning his attention back to the leader. Suddenly, he turned and motioned to his brother, standing slightly behind them. Thor rose and approached, carrying a small box. It was opened. Inside sat two identical bands of gold and emerald, their patterns woven together to create an interweaving strand that was dotted with the constellations of the Asgardian sky.

Loki took one and grabbed Jane's right hand.

"With this ring, Jane Foster, I pledge to you my love, my life, my dreams. Your soul completes mine as the brightness of the starlight completes the darkness of the sky. Under the long song of the stars, I become yours."

With the words, Loki slipped the band onto Jane's finger. Her eyes brimming with tears, Jane took the remaining ring and grabbed Loki's hand, gently rubbing her fingers against his cool skin.

"With this ring, Loki Friggason, I pledge to you my love, my life, my dreams. Your soul completes mine as the brightness of the starlight completes the darkness of the sky. Under the long song of the stars, I become yours."

It was finished. The two souls had become one, one long and interweaving soul, forever bound underneath the sacred starlight of the realm eternal. And underneath this very starlight, Loki Friggason and Jane Foster, once cold and lonely souls, isolated from each other like lone stars darting aimlessly across the inky sky, became bound forever in a dance of harmony and passion.

A single kiss sealed their union. As they became one, the long song of the stars reached its zenith, creating beauty not heard in the realm for thousands of years, and not to be heard again for many more. Together, Loki and Jane rushed away from the altar and darted down the aisle, holding hands and dashing away from the shouting congregation and disappearing into the maze of the wild and ranging gardens far below. They would show up hours later at the feast thrown in their honor, sharing secret smiles and beautiful laughter.

Later on that night, the stars would sing their last as Loki and Jane vanished into their chambers. Those who lived through that night would later recall how the long song was sung for the union of two ordinary beings who became one extraordinary soul underneath the bursting lights of the night sky. And as for Loki and Jane, they would go onto many adventures and travels, always harkening back for strength to the night they were united underneath the singing starlight.

There are many stories of their lives, stories as secret and as brilliant as the songs of the stars, songs that must only be sung by beautiful beings with extraordinary voices. As such, I will leave the storytelling of their lives to the songs of the stars.


	2. Immortality

The late afternoon hours of the long summer Asgardian afternoons usually found the palace quiet and peaceful. Hot air stifled the inhabitants of the royal compound as it did the citizens of the twisting city streets. Escape from the heat was impossible in this season. Overhead, the gleaming rays of the sun cut sharply through heavy clouds and reflected off the surfaces of the palace walls, creating a golden, shimmering illusion of beauty when inside, its occupants suffered through the heat and lingered in the heavy air.

Sif came away from her balcony, from her observations of the sprawling city below whose daily life had grown quiet with the heat. She, like her husband, thrived in the sweltering atmosphere. The raging fires of the sun mirrored the boiling blood in her veins, calling out for training and fighting. Likewise, the summer nights, dripping with their heat, claimed Thor's powers of thunder and lightening, claimed the summer thunderstorms that echoed in the distance beyond misty mountains.

"My Lady," a voice sounded from her doorway.

Sif smiled and turned around, casually tossing her armored sleeves and shin protectors to the ground as she did so. Thor stood in her doorway, leaning against the frame, smiling with amused gleam in stormy blue eyes. Sif returned his grin and sauntered toward him, wrapping slim arms around his muscled frame.

"I did not see you in the training grounds today," she whispered in his ear. "Be careful, My King. If you avoid sparring for too long, your wife may best you yet."

Thor laughed quietly and picked Sif off the ground, carrying her to their bed and lightly tossing her upon its golden covers. Around his massive frame, Sif could see the storm clouds gathering in the distance, could hear the thunder rolling over yonder purple mountain, could see the passion in the hanging darkness that mirrored the look in her husband's eyes.

"Running a kingdom is much work, My Lady," Thor responded lightly, shedding his outer cloak and crown while keeping his darkening eyes on Sif. "But never fear, we shall spar now until you are dually satisfied."

Sif laughed as her husband climbed atop the covers and kissed her passionately. Outside, the darkened sky gave way to clashing thunder and darting streaks of lightening that could only give glimpse into the fury of love that struck between Sif and Thor, Goddess of War and God of Thunder, Queen and King of Asgard and forever bonded underneath the hot summer skies.

A shattering crash and furious cry broke their passionate peacefulness. Thor stopped and glanced at the wall separating their quarters from those of Loki and Jane. Silence responded. Thor looked back at Sif, who nodded emphatically, and the two continued their dance of love as the storm raged behind them.

Another shout sounded from the room. Sif sighed heavily and Thor groaned, looking at his wife with apologetic eyes. She rolled hers in return but nodded.

"Go to them," she said. "I will wait."

Thor stood and retrieved his discard tunic, shrugging into golden and maroon fabric and sweeping from their chambers. Outside, the thunder intensified and the heat grew ever more stifling despite the oncoming promise of cooling rain. As Thor reached the doorway of Loki and Jane's chambers, he could discern shouting within. Occasionally, something shattered behind the tightly closed door, followed by more cries of anger. He knocked swiftly.

The door swung open. Loki stood with eyes blazing, wide open and brimming with tears of passionate anger. His mouth was pulled into a thin line, his hair was tangled and disorientate. Behind his silently raging brother, Thor could barely make out Jane, seated on a deep green cushion and nursing her shoulder. She reflected the same intensity of Loki.

"Brother," Thor began, "Is all well?"

"No, Thor," Loki hissed, his voice dripping with disdain, "All is not well. Come inside, if you will. It seems your thunderstorm has yet to quench the anger of this room."

Thor ventured inside, carefully stepping around his seething brother and making his way to Jane. When he saw her more closely, a light gasp escaped his lips as a rumble thunder shook the heavy palace walls. She wore a light cotton tunic and brown pants, with boots that rose to her knees. Her outfit, however, did not shock Jane so much as the red stain that spread from her outer shoulder and down the arms of her white sleeves.

"Jane," he gasped, falling to his knees and gently grabbing the bleeding arm, "Who has done this thing?" Thunder raged outside. Through the balcony windows, lightening lit the sky ablaze and danced with the oncoming storm clouds that blackened the sun and the city below.

"I…it was an accident…" Jane said. "I was watching the kids practice arrows in the yard and one of them hit me. Totally on accident. It wasn't his fault!" Jane finished, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I believe you, Jane," Thor responded. "But why the commotion from your quarters?"

Jane opened her mouth to speak, but a hissing voice sounded from behind Thor. Her eyes narrowed into slits as her husband spoke.

"Because, brother," Loki said, "She does not understand her mortality. She does not care. She dashes around the city as though she were invincible, immortal." Loki let out a harsh laugh as the overhead sky became tinged with striped of emerald green that hung ominously over palace walls. "She seems to disregard her own frailty."

"I am not weak, Loki!" Jane sprung to her feet, wincing as a shot of pain struck through her shoulder, but she did not sit. "Why can't you understand that I need to explore and see things? You can't keep me locked up in here!"

Loki's eyes widened. He pulled his mouth into a thin line, keeping in words that otherwise would have poured forth from raging lips. Outside, the green of the clouds hung heavy, mixing with the thunderstorm that threatened to give way at any moment. He turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door to their inner chambers behind him. Thor watched his emerald cape sweep from the room, and then turned to Jane with a sigh.

"Jane, I will call a healer – "

She waved a hand, cutting him off.

"Loki already did when he saw the blood. She'll be here soon," Jane responded absently, her eyes glazing over and staring wistfully out the blackened balcony, observing the weather patterns that fought for dominance in the sky.

Thor cleared his throat, calling her attention back.

"I can fix this, Jane," he said.

"Fix what?" she asked harshly. "We're fine, Thor. I'm sure you and Sif fight sometimes too. It's just a little disagreement."

"I can fix your mortality, Jane," Thor said, clarifying his statement and watching Jane's eyes widen at his words. "If you so desire," he continued, "I have the power to bestow upon you the station of Goddess and the Right to Immortality."

Jane said nothing. She rose slowly and walked to her glass doorway, pushing open the doors that led to the balcony. Rain poured down upon the marble floor as thunder danced in the distance with bolts of radiant lightening that held an emerald glow. She stepped out upon the cold floor and raised her eyes to the sky. Water rained upon her face, drenching her hair and causing bloodied stains to wash around her feet, pooling in streaks of red upon the white tiles. Suddenly, a dark form appeared at her side. Jane turned and wrapped her arms around her husband's shaking form. Thor could make out the streaks of tears upon both the cheeks of husband and wife as they kissed underneath the raging storm that washed the stifling tension away from Asgard. Jane then turned her face back to Thor.

"Yes," she whispered, her words falling from lips like rain from green clouds and mingling with the blood upon the flood, washing away from her feet and streaming down the balcony stairs, painting the walls of the balcony with passion.

* * *

And so it passed that Jane found herself kneeling before the King and Queen of Asgard as the entirety of the royal population looked on with smiles of silence. She wore the simplest of clothes, as befitted one being reborn into the next world, the world of the immortal soul. Her hair, uncombed, tumbled down unadorned neck in tangles. Brown sleeves covered slightly shaking arms. Black pants clung to her legs and formed her only barrier between trembling knees and cold tiles of the throne room. She glanced to Thor's left, where Loki sat, garbed in his finest armor and smiling at her through guarded eyes. He noticed the slight tinge of fear in her, and he nodded imperceptibly, sending small waves of calming energy her way. She smiled slightly and returned her eyes to the ground.

Thor rose and addressed the gathered crowd.

"Good people of Asgard," he said, his voice rolling like summer thunder through the golden walls of the room, "We gather today to bring the Lady Jane Foster into our realm of immortal souls. Goddess she will become, truly one of the Aesir, one of Asgard."

He stopped talking and walked down the stairs, reaching the spot where Jane remained kneeling on the ground, shaking slightly, her eyes locked upon a single spot on marble tile. As Thor neared her, she raised her eyes and offered him a slight smile and nod of her head. She was ready.

"Lady Jane Foster, Wife of Loki Friggason, former Midgardian," he began, "Today I bestow upon you the immortal soul of our ancestors. May it guide you in darkness, keep you in sunlight, and radiate starlight from your very being."

With the ancient words, Thor's hands glowed with a golden spark. He gently laid them atop Jane's disorientate hair as he recited words of the Old Language. Jane closed her eyes and breathed slowly, focusing her thoughts on starlight, on the night sky, on anything else but the knots in her stomach. Suddenly, she felt waves of energy coursing through her veins. A great power now dwelt within her. She felt it, she knew it was there. It danced with her memories and soared with her emotions. She glanced quickly up at Thor, who nodded and removed his hands.

"Rise, My Lady," he said, taking Jane's hand and helping her from the floor. "Today, I proclaim you to be, now and forevermore, Jane Foster, Goddess of Stardust."

Jane smiled as the room erupted into cheers and gasps. Her eyes furrowed and found Thor's, who smiled and glanced down at Jane's suddenly changed garb. She followed his gaze and let forth a breath of incredulous air.

Her hair had become sleek and combed, and atop shimming brown locks sat a thin, silver crown of woven starlight. Around her arms, sheer green fabric mingled with shining armor that clasped around her forearms and outer hands. The emerald dress draped down her torso, flowing along the floor and reflecting the gleaming walls of the throne room.

Jane darted from Thor's side and dashed up golden stairs, rushing into the open arms of her beaming husband. As they held each other and indulged in passionate kisses, their magic intertwined, creating the beauty that marked the rebirth of Jane Foster. Sparks of green and purple shot from their bodies, mingling overhead before bursting above in fireworks and explosions of color and passion. They rushed from the room as green streaks of magic painted the air behind their bodies and bursts of stardust fused with their emerald flashes, coloring the throne room with the passion of their excitement and the intensity of their love.


End file.
